Worlds Unite
by JayHawk134
Summary: Stranded in a foreign world, the ninja's only priority is to return home. But when a new issue arises, will the ninja and their new friend be able to fix everything? Or will evil triumph once and for all?
1. Chapter 1: What in this world?

**HI everybody! It's me, JayHawk (i mean, who else did you expect? XD). Here's the new story I promised! I will not be updating this one quite as often, every ten days or so. Thanks for all your support for my other story, Return of Sarok. I hope you like this one as well!**

"Are you serious?" Kai exploded, "You don't want to come on the fastest, wildest, most crazy roller coaster in all of Ninjago?" "Nope!" his sister, Nya, replied brightly. "I must decline, as well," Sensei Wu added, "Roller coasters tend to do a number on these old bones." Kai shook his head, glancing in disapproval at his sister. "Then I guess it's just the four of us, then?" Cole, Jay and Zane grinned. "Just like old times," Jay murmured reminiscently. "Oh, stop it," Cole scolded, slapping him playfully on the back, "Let's go."

"Hey! I want to come!" Lloyd protested. "Sorry, squirt," Kai replied, mussing Lloyd's sandy blonde hair. "The sign says you have to be at least 60 inches tall. Maybe you could catch the Ferris wheel with Sensei and Nya," he teased. Lloyd scowled and stomped away. "But I hate Ferris wheels! Does anyone have a measuring tape? Because I really don't think…" his voice faded into the general chatter of the fairground as the Dragon Coaster car pulled up, clattering against the sturdy tracks. The ninja slid in line just as a large group of teenagers entered. "Whew, I'm glad we got in before them," Jay commented, "The line would've taken forever!"

The attendant let the six kids in front of then on the now-empty cart, and as the next one came and its occupants filed to the exit, the four ninja hopped aboard. The attendant invited two of the members of the large group to join, but they declined. "Dude, we'll stay together. If you don't mind." So the ninja were alone.

As the cart trundled down the track, quickly picking up speed, Jay clenched the handlebars in anticipation. Ever since Nya had been chained to a similar coaster by the serpentine, and he had to go save her, getting a kiss on the cheek and his full potential as a result, he'd had a thing for roller coasters. Just so long as they lacked broken tracks and a flaming hoop at the end.

"Woohoo!" Kai hollered, as they plunged down a sharp dip in the track. "This," Zane exclaimed breathlessly, "This is quite fun!" Cole jerked his head up, face slightly green. Jay got a mischievous look on his face and reached into his pocket. Ignoring the knifing wind whistling past, he pulled out an energy bar and peeled back the wrapper.

"Hey, Cole, you're looking a little green," he observed innocently, "Want a Porburry bar?" "Please, Jay, no!" the black ninja moaned, clutching his stomach for added drama. Jay chuckled and put the snack away.

As they approached the final loop-de-loop, Kai squinted at it. "What's that?" Zane glanced ahead. "I'm drawing a blank." "Woah!" Jay slid to the edge of his seat, staring wide-eyed at the wall of swirling purple that rested on the track. "It's getting closer!" Kai panicked and started fiddling with his seat belt.

An instant later, the plummeted through it and disappeared.

The empty car raced onward, coming to a stop in front of the bewildered attendant. But what could he do? Shrugging, he let the next six on. One teen was wide-eyed as he explained to his friends what he saw. "And dude, there was this huge purple flash! I didn't know they had something like that on here!"

But when they reached the final loop-de-loop, the violet light was gone.

(~&&&~)

It was dark inside. Prying his eyes back open, Cole focused on a pinprick of light in the distance and started walking towards it. As he got closer, he noticed a strong current, pulling him along. He stopped, but the current increased dramatically, making his hair whip untamed around his head. He dug in his heels, but the wind swept him off his feet and hurled him into the light.

When he reopened his eyes, he was face down on rough asphalt. Getting to his feet, he brushed himself off; only to be knocked down again as his friends tumbled out of thin air on top of him.

"Where are we?" Jay asked, "Last thing I remember was being sucked in, beat up, and spat out by that… thing." "Can you get off?" Cole grumbled grumpily. "Oh, sorry, Cole," Kai apologized, backing away. Then he did a double take. "Cole? Uh… you look… different!" The red ninja stumbled over his bewildered words. "You all do!"

The ninja were wide-eyed. Each stared at the others, taking in their new appearances. Instead of a normal face, their heads were now shaped like an inverted teardrop; their eyes like almonds. The ground seemed farther away. Their bodies were longer, more graceful, and more defined. "What in the world-" "You mean, what in this world," Zane corrected Jay, "I highly doubt we are still in Ninjago."

Peering out of the alleyway they were situated in, Cole tried to be optimistic. "At least we won't stick out as much," he said, pointing out at the throngs of similar-looking people milling around. "Looks like we're still at an amusement park," Jay observed, "If not the same one."

The instant they stepped out of the alleyway, an exceptionally large woman bustled over and snatched Jay and Zane by the hoods of their jackets. "'Ere, now," she began in a heavy southern accent, holding the teenagers she had seized out at her sides like a pair of disobedient tomcats, "If ye kids don't quit arunnin' off, ye'll be spread 'alf a'way 'round the world! Now, git yerselves back to yer groups b'fore I make a full report to the principal!"

Releasing a scowling Zane and Jay with a push, she stared at them expectantly. "Umm… what groups?" Jay inquired, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yer school groups," she explained impatiently, gesturing towards five or six groups of teenagers, each donned in a bright color. "Okay, ma'am," Kai replied compliantly, starting for the red group. The lady gave a satisfied snort and walked away, no doubt in search of another group of stragglers.

"What are you doing?" Cole hissed, "We don't belong here!" "Listen," Kai replied intensely, "We need a place to go temporarily until we figure out what's going on, without attracting a whole lot of unwanted attention, and this is the perfect opportunity. Keep your eyes open." With that, he melted into the red group. The others, after finding their respective colors, did the same.

The sun was setting, casting menacing shadows over the popcorn-scattered fairgrounds. An older teen at the edge of the chattering red group whistled sharply, and gradually everyone grew quiet.

"Who's that?" Kai whispered to a shorthaired girl next to him. "The councilor," she replied, "It's time to go pick our dorms." Kai nodded and began moving with the group in the general direction of the exit. A glance around told him the others were leaving as well, hopefully to the same destination.

"Where are we going?" Kai asked again. The shorthaired girl gave him a strange look and moved away. Kai got the hint and silenced himself; content to watch in relief as the other groups boarded buses similar to the one the red group was approaching.

(~&&&~)

"We're on a school bus… there's dorms… are we going to school or something?" Kai wondered aloud. He was suddenly finding hidden doubts in his plan. How would they ever fit in at a school?

As they pulled to a stop, Kai eyed the tiny school nervously. If anything went wrong… He filed off the bus, brimming with anxiety. The teenagers grouped on the lush lawn, filling the air with insecure chatter. They quieted as the councilor blew his whistle and started to speak.

"We'll choose dorms tonight. Girls in building A, and boys in building B. Dinner is at six o'clock. Come to the counseling center before then to sign in. It is five o'clock right now. Go!" Kai located the other groups, receiving similar instruction. He edged over to the blue group.

"Jay!" he whispered sharply. Jay's head shot up, and he looked around wildly for the stranger who knew his name, not relaxing until he recognized Kai.

"Kai! All tree of our groups were on the same bus, so Cole and Zane and I found out a bunch about this place. It's like, this school for geniuses. Zane got on one of the white group's computers and secured a place for us here; at least for now." Kai nodded. "So you think we're good here?"

The blue ninja grinned and handed him a slip of paper. "We even printed up matching schedules!" "Jay!" Kai scolded, "Has it occurred to you that we're in the wrong world? The wrong existence? We need to get home, not send down more roots!"

Jay shrugged. "Where better than here to plot our return? Like Zane said, it's 'more desirable than being arrested as junior delinquents.' Anyway, your group's leaving. We're going for room B219. Hurry!" He darted away to catch up with his departing group, and Kai followed suite.

(~&&&~)

Zane was already in the dorm when Kai burst in breathlessly. "I made it," he panted. Jay and Cole strode into view, and Jay clapped apathetically and said in a patronizing tone, "Wow. Congratulations."

Ignoring him, Kai stepped up to Zane. "What're you doing?" "I've picked up a faint signal from the Destiny's Bounty," the nindroid replied, "But the connection is sparse and weak." Kai's eyebrows shot up. "Seriously? You're in contact with Nya?" "Barely… hold on… ah! Nya? Can you hear me?" A voice crackled out of the receiver on the nindroid's arm. "What's that? I can't hear you very clearly!"

The speaker crackled once again, and then Nya's voice came through, loud and clear. "Where are you guys? When you disappeared from the Dragon Coaster, no one had any idea where you were! We were all frantic!" "Not sure," Kai replied. "But, Nya… we look… different." "Our bodies have been altered to fit into the new environment," Zane hurriedly explained.

"Do you think you'll be able to switch back to normal?" she asked anxiously. "I believe so," Zane replied, "Since we changed when we—ahem—switched worlds, the problem should be fixed as soon as we reenter Ninjago." "I hope so. You're sure you haven't the faintest idea of where you are?" "No." "You are all right, correct?" The four ninja voiced their wellness.

Zane had been walking around the room, but he stopped abruptly and walked into the hall. Still, Nya's voice came through. "I believe now that we have gotten a connection, it will be difficult to break and easy to reconnect. Nya, we must go—it is nearly five-thirty. We will contact you soon." "I'll tell sensei," Kai's sister agreed, "Maybe he can figure out where you guys are. Destiny's Bounty, over and out."

**I hope I have you hooked! Ptyl!**


	2. Chapter 2: Our last hope

**Hey guys! Yeah I don't really have much to say today (really? :O) so just go ahead and read! And thanks for all the awesome reviews!**

Kai saw her across the busy cafeteria. She was just like any other girl milling around, except for her jacket. Or rather, the design on her jacket. "That's… me!" he realized in shock. He, Zane, Jay, and Lloyd were all on the jacket, looking exactly like they had back in Ninjago. The only ninja absent from the sweatshirt was Cole, likely because the initial background color was black.

Elbowing his way across the hall, Kai tapped the girl's shoulder. "Excuse me, but… who's on your jacket?" She looked startled, at first, but then she blushed and replied, "Oh, it's just the characters from by favorite TV show. Have you heard of Lego Ninjago?" The 'Lego' threw him off, but Ninjago? He nodded enthusiastically. She brightened. "You're a fan, too?" She chuckled shyly, tucking a strand of her waist-length blond hair behind her ear, then confessed, "Yeah, I'm kind of obsessed. Ninjago is like, my life!" "Mine, too," Kai replied slowly. If only she knew how true that was. Taking a deep breath, he decided to move in for the kill. "So… you know who, say, Kai, is?" She snorted. "Of course!" Kai paused and bit his lip, hoping desperately that she'd believe him. "What if… I'm Kai?"

Her eyebrows shot up. "Uh huh…" she said skeptically. She doesn't believe me, Kai thought in discouragement. "No, really," he protested, "We were riding a roller coaster, and we somehow got teleported here, and…" The red ninja trailed off. She ignored Kai as she looked him up and down. "You certainly look and sound the part," she observed, "But that alone isn't going to―wait, you said we?" Kai nodded vigorously, gesturing back across the hall to where Cole, Jay and Zane were watching in confusion. "That makes your story a little more plausible. I've gotta go sign in and get some food. Try to come up with some better proof and meet me at that table," she instructed, pointing at a random table near the far side of the cafeteria. Then she darted into the sea of faces and disappeared.

True to Jay's word and Zane's work, the four were already signed up, and signing in went without a hitch. As they headed for the table the girl had specified, Kai realized he hadn't even asked her name. Oh, well.

She was waiting for them, a look of tense excitement on her face. Maybe she did believe me, Kai thought to himself. As soon as she was within earshot, Kai apologized, "We couldn't figure much out―" "That's okay!" she interrupted brightly, "I did! I was thinking that maybe you could… um… do spinjitzu for me?" She looked so hopeful they couldn't possibly turn her down, but Jay had some questions. "First, though, what do you know about Ninjago? How do you know so much about us?" "Yeah," Cole added, "What do you know about us?" The girl grinned. "What do I know? Well, Nya's the mysterious samurai, Zane's a nindroid, Cole's a dancer…" "Hey!" Jay exclaimed, "I said that!" She nodded and continued, "By the way, where are Lloyd and Nya? And Sensei Wu? Oh, I've always wanted to meet Sensei Wu!" "Back on the Bounty, I guess. Who's the mysterious samurai?" Jay quizzed. She rolled her eyes and replied, "Jay, I already said that! It's Nya, obviously. Kai was the first to find out, then the rest of you didn't until the serpentine found the first fang blade at Mega Monster amusement part, and Jay almost turned into a snake. Kai was the last to get his full potential. Jay was the first to learn spinjitzu. Anything I missed?"

"What happened to my parents?" Kai challenged. Everyone turned to stare at him. "Even I don't know that, Kai!" Zane protested, "What did happen to them?" The red ninja shrugged. "I actually have no idea. I dunno where that came from. C'mon, let's go out back." He spun on his heel and walked towards the door. The others looked at each other blankly, then followed.

"What'd you say, boys? Time to prove our worth?" Kai said overenthusiastically. The others nodded in uncertainty, then shook off Kai's unusual mood. "Earth!" "Fire!" "Ice!" "Lightning!" The girl watched in awe as four tornadoes erupted around the ninja, whipping up the dust and spewing it every which way. When they came to a stop, all four were clad in similar uniforms: Blue, red, black and white. "Convinced?" Jay grinned. The girl was beaming wider than a Cheshire cat, and she nodded enthusiastically.

"Free time until seven-thirty," a voice blared over the intercom, "On-campus policy is strictly enforced." "What do you say we go to my dorm room," the girl suggested, "I'd like a full explanation." The ninja nodded and followed her. "By the way, my name's Lindsey," she added over her shoulder. Kai grinned. "Good to know."

"So you're telling me you got sucked here through a roller coaster?"

Cole nodded vigorously. They were all crowded onto the standard, olive green couch that was provided in each dorm. Lindsey was perched in a large armchair, listening intently to the ninja's story. "Hmm…" "Where are all your roommates?" Zane asked out of the blue, "There were generally three to four students in a room, but I see no evidence of another resident." Lindsey suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Well, they… um…" she sighed. "I guess everyone already had friends, and I… well, I didn't."

Then she grinned faintly. "But that means I get the whole dorm to myself!" she exclaimed overzealously, flopping onto one of the empty beds. "That's off subject. How are we gonna get you home?" Jay shrugged. "It's a little more than a one-word answer." Her face brightened. "I have an idea! C'mon!" She grabbed her bag and opened the door, letting in a rush of muggy air. "Where are we going?" Cole inquired. She grinned. "Somewhere to help us think. You guys are going to get the city's top VIP tour, led by yours truly!"

"We should be heading back," Zane observed, pointing up at the large clock that dominated the city, which read seven fifteen. Lindsey glanced at her wristwatch. "We still have a couple minutes. There's one last thing I want to show you."

Mystified, the ninja followed, weaving in and out of the milling crowds to keep up with her. Finally, she came to a stop in front of their destination. "Woah…" Kai whispered in awe. "Yeah, woah," Jay agreed. He paused. "Umm… what kind do they sell?"

Kai snapped out of his reverie long enough to observe the blue ninja gazing dreamily at a street vendor selling cotton candy. "Hey, genius, she means that," he berated, directing Jay's attention to Lindsey's objective for bring them there in the first place: a huge, ninety-story building. Lindsey excitedly grabbed Kai's arm and pulled him into the building.

They'd realized long ago that they were in a world far different from their own. However, stepping into that building was like stepping into another land in and of itself. Boxes, bags, and merchandise of every kind lined rows upon rows of shelves in dozens of small stores. They were at the mall―melting pot of all things buyable. The ninja would've been content to just stand and stare, but Lindsey wasn't. "This way," she urged, darting deeper into the busy bazaar. They followed her compliantly to a small shop, nestled in the far corner. The bright red sign had the letters L-E-G-O printed on it. "Lego," Kai whispered to himself. Hadn't Lindsey said something about that in connection to his home―Lego Ninjago? He was suddenly more interested. His intrigue only grew as she led them to the back of the tiny store. "Tada!" she announced, "My fav place in the entire mall!"

"This might just be my new favorite place in the mall, too," Jay snickered, "Just look at us!" It was true―tiny models of the ninja, in addition to Sensei Wu, Lloyd, and Nya, covered the small space. Hung on key chains, printed on boxes, and designed on t-shirts, Ninjago ruled the little corner. "Okay, that's just scary," Cole commented. "I believe your analysis is correct," agreed Zane, "How do they have any knowledge of our world?" "Here, it's just a TV show," Lindsey cut in. "I've seen all the episodes, like, a million times." "You'll have to show them to us," Kai mused. "But we'd better be getting back now. I wonder if Nya's come up with anything." "Wait… I thought Nya's still in Ninjago?" "She is, but Zane picked up a signal from the Destiny's Bounty when we were in our dorm. She said she'd tell Sensei Wu and get back to us soon." Lindsey just shook her head in amazement.

They made it back to the school in the nick of time. Councilors and teachers ushered everyone to the auditorium for the student orientation. After being enthusiastically welcomed, the film went on to inform them of duties, curfews, and expectations. It ended with 'We are so excited to have you here!' and the students were released to prepare to retire for the night.

"Meet me tomorrow at our table for breakfast tomorrow," Lindsey muttered in Kai's ear before splitting of to the girls' dorms. The red ninja nodded, and the four of them headed for their own room. As soon as room inspection had come and gone, Zane contacted Kai's sister again. "Finally!" she exclaimed, as soon as the connection was stable, "I thought you'd never call back! Sensei said… well, I'll let him tell you." Sensei Wu's voice then came on. "We are glad you four are safe. I have disturbing news: you have been transported to another world; a parallel universe, possibly." Jay snorted. "Is that it? Sorry, Sensei, but we kind of already figured that out." "I wasn't finished," the sensei insisted irritably, "This is an urgent issue, so hear me out. This 'other world' is securely connected to our own, and without the other's support, both worlds could begin to fade, eventually ceasing to exist and bringing woe and tragedy to the inhabitants. The spirit smoke has warned me of the dangers of this, and now I am certain: the connection is waning. You must find what is causing it and put an end to it before it is too late. I am not sure who, or what, summoned you through that portal, but this I know: it was not an accident. You four may be our last hope."

**Tada! Hope you like it so far, I'll probably put a new chapter on every week or so! Ptyl!**


	3. Chapter 3: There's the pipsqueak!

**Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't posted for a while; school is so hectic, plus I have a ballroom dance show coming up, so every spare second is spent practicing! But enough about me. On with the story!**

Lindsey lay sprawled on her bed, grinning dreamily. Mere hours earlier, she had been feeling completely deflated as a result of her empty dorm room, friendless and alone. When she met her heroes, the ninja, and they needed her help, it was a dream come true.

Sitting up, she bit her lip. True, they needed her help, but as she thought about it, what did she have to offer? More than the Ninjago-oblivious teens in the next dorm over, for sure, but now enough to get them back to their own world! She could barely find the way to her math class, for Pete's sake!

Maybe she should tell someone. But who would believe her? No, this was something she had to do herself.

A tapping on the window startled her out of her reverie. Sliding the curtain aside, she was startled to see all four ninja crowded on the windowsill. "Quick! Come in," she urged. "How did you get up here? This is the third floor!"

Jay grinned. "I think you're forgetting—we're ninja. It was a piece of cake!" Lindsey nodded. "Of course. You've got to teach me how to do that. But why are you here?"

"Straight to the point," Kai approved, "I like that. We've got a hold of Sensei, and he had some disturbing news."

Lindsey's face blanched. "There's no way for you to get back, is there?" "No word on that, actually," Zane asserted. Lindsey sighed in relief and muttered, "Oh, okay, because that would really have stunk."

"No, there's probably a way back," Cole restated, "But we can't go back. At least, not yet." "Why not?" The black ninja quickly explained the dilemma, with Lindsey nodding every so often.

Once he finished, she exhaled sharply. "So, basically, we have to figure out who brought you here and why, reestablish the connection between our worlds, and get you guys home, all before… please don't tell me we have limited time!" Kai grinned weakly. "Well, actually…"

(~&&&~)

"Now what?" Jay sighed, flopping down on one of the empty beds. They all bore a moment of silence as the others considered Jay's question, then Lindsey spoke up. "What if we call Sensei Wu and see if he has any ideas yet? Maybe he knows someone else who has connections between the worlds!"

"Hey, you just want to meet him," Kai accused. Lindsey laughed amiably and replied, "Guilty as charged. But seriously, maybe he does!"

A thumping from the floor below told them that someone from the second story wasn't pleased. "Quiet, up there!" an irritated voice hollered, accompanied by another series of thumps. "Sorry!" Lindsey called, then whispered, "Either way, we should go outside or something. People are trying to sleep."

"'Kay, cool," Jay agreed. Lindsey paused. "If we try to go out the front doors, we'll probably get caught…" Cole mock-sighed and replied, "C'mon, girl, tonight's the night you learn to jump out the window." She grinned.

"Since you probably haven't received extensive training from a certain sensei, like we have-" Jay began, pausing as Lindsey protested, "Hey! I'm working on it!" He snickered and continued, "Trust me, you'll like the other option. As I was saying, since you're not really a trained ninja, you should probably use these instead."

With that, the blue ninja reached into a pocket in his uniform and pulled out a tightly compacted pair of wings, which sprung open to full size when he tugged a loose string. "No way, no way, no way!" Lindsey squealed in delight, "Your invention, right? The one you were working on when Sensei Wu found you? Do I really get to use them?" Jay nodded, grinning widely.

Made from a thick, white canvas and lightweight wire, they were about seven feet across, and shaped like bat wings. Jay helped her strap into them, then she stepped up to the windowsill, harboring an air of nervous excitement.

"Wait!" Kai called, "Let me go first! It's a hard landing if something goes wrong."

"Kai! Don't be silly," Lindsey teased, "I'm not gonna fall!" Nevertheless, he clambered out the window, using the old-fashioned shutters as finger grips. A moment later, he reappeared at the bottom and called, "Okay, come down now!"

"Ready?" Jay asked. Lindsey nodded quickly and stepped out of the room into thin air.

Angling her body upwards, she felt the wind build up under the wings. "Easy…" she heard Jay whisper.

This was amazing! The wind teased her hair away from its loose ponytail, making it dance around her face. She wished she could never come down, never lose this fantastic feeling…

Just then, a lone moth darted in front of her, brushing the bridge of her nose and eradicating her focus. The wind escaped from under her wings, and she started to fall. Panicking, she began flapping wildly in a frenzied attempt to slow her plunging descent. As the stony ground rushed up, she screamed, sure she was about to be dashed against the hard cobblestone path.

Then strong arms caught her, a split second before impact. "Kai!" Lindsey gasped, breathless but alive. "Now are you glad I came down first?" he teased back, setting her on her feet. She grinned in relief. "Oh, I don't think I've ever been gladder to see you!" Unstrapping the wings and folding them neatly as the other three ninja hurried down, she handed them back to Jay once he reached her.

"Lindsey! Are you okay? What happened?" She grimaced. "I'm fine—I got distracted. Something brushed my face and I lost control." With a nervous glance at the dark window next to them, she continued, "Let's find somewhere where we won't be spotted as easily." "There?" Cole suggested, pointing to a slightly more secluded space behind a cluster of bushes. Lindsey nodded.

As the others headed for the spot, Lindsey grabbed Kai's shoulder. "Kai—you saved my life." He gave a sly grin. "And is that against the law?" She shrugged. "Just… thanks."

(~&&&~)

Zane readjusted the tuner and tried again. "Sensei? Can you hear me?" "I hear you," Sensei Wu replied slowly. Lindsey started to hyperventilate, mouthing, "Sensei Wu! It's Sensei Wu!" Kai snickered under his breath, but stopped immediately as his teacher continued.

"We are plagued by a dire problem here in Ninjago, in addition to the quagmire you four are in. Lloyd is missing." "He's missing?" Cole repeated, stunned, "For how long?" "He disappeared about the same time you guys did," Nya informed. Jay grinned slightly at the sound of her voice.

"What if he snuck onto the roller coaster, in the last empty car?" Lindsey speculated, "He could've easily gotten aboard, being a ninja and all, and gotten sucked into the portal, too?" "That's our guess, too," Nya agreed, "But… who are you?"

"This is Lindsey," Kai introduced, "She knows about our world and is gonna try to help us." "Nice to sort of meet you," Nya greeted, "I'd love to get to know you better, but we're kind of on a time frame. I like your idea, though—Kai? I don't suppose you saw him…"

"Nope," her brother lamented, "But I don't see how he could've possibly gone through the same portal. We were all 'spat out,' so to speak, in the same place, and he was nowhere in sight. You're sure he's not just hiding somewhere on the Bounty?"

"We examined a nearby security camera," Sensei Wu interjected, "It appears that he boarded the roller coaster without your knowledge." Cole sighed. "One more thing on our agenda: find Lloyd. Call us back if you find anything. Planet Earth, over and out."

"I think we should follow Sensei's course of action," Zane observed, "Even if none of us saw him, there's one thing at the fairgrounds that would have: the security cameras."

(~&&&~)

Lindsey reached into the book bag she'd grabbed before exiting the dorm and pulled out a sleek, silver laptop. Flipping it open, she quickly navigated to the fairgrounds' website and skillfully hacked into the security camera's log for the previous day. Now they were watching it carefully, hoping for any chance of spotting Lloyd.

"There's the little pipsqueak," Jay pointed out, "Play that back!" "What was he thinking?" Kai muttered, as Zane rewinded the camera's tape to where the green ninja came into view. "So he is here," observed Lindsey, "But the real question is, where did he go?"

"I'd say we go look for footprints, but the park's forever away," Cole lamented, "Without vehicles equipped with powerful boosters, it could be daylight before we even get there."

Jay studied the few precious seconds in which the green ninja appeared. "What's he doing?" he wondered aloud, drawing everyone's attention back from Cole to the tapes. "It almost looks like he's, like, looking for something," Lindsey pondered thoughtfully, "But what?"

Kai bit his lip. "I don't know, but if he didn't find it, maybe we can. It might be just what we're looking for." "He might've just dropped his weapon or something," Cole countered. The red ninja shook his head. "Lloyd should know that having a weapon here is nothing but trouble," he replied, pulling out his gleaming golden sword, "If we get caught with these, it'd be bad news, and since he's just a kid…" "They're gonna think, 'Where the heck did a ten-year-old kid get a katana?'," Jay finished, "For all they know, he could've stolen it from an art museum, the way this place is laid out."

Zane nodded. "By morning he could be miles away. We must go now." "Let me come!" Lindsey volunteered eagerly. "No," Kai shook his head again, "You have to stay here. For us, this school is a cover, but for you, it's your future. Wait until your classes are done, and we'll share any leads we find."

She sighed. "I guess you're right." "Climb on, piggie-back style," Cole instructed, arching his back. As soon as she complied, the black ninja deftly climbed back to her window and dropped her off.

Once back on the ground, they waved and started for the fairground, with Lindsey watching forlornly from the window. "Goodbye!" she called, then lowered her voice.

"Good luck."

**Hope you like it so far! Ptyl and merry Christmas**!


	4. Chapter 4: It IS you!

**Hey guys! Yeah I know my posts have been crazily sporadic lately, and they'll probably stay that way for a little while. I have three finals tomorrow, so things are pretty hectic! XD **

**Also, thank you guys so much for all the awesome reviews you send me! Every time I see the notification for a new review in my inbox I get little happy chills XD**

**And last thing that occurs throughout my stories: when I use italics on any largish chunk of text, it usually signifies dreaming, thoughts, or one's conscience/inner self talking to them (as demonstrated when Jay thinks in italics later in the chapter). And now, on with the story!**

"I sense these are Lloyd's footprints, but they come to an end here. Why?" Zane fingered the oblong footprints at the edge of a muddy alley bordering the grounds.

"Well, he got out of here somehow," Kai observed sarcastically, pointing out the continuous tracks of a heavy vehicle that started where the prints ended, "Are we gonna follow him?"

Cole rolled his eyes. "Obviously. Do our weapons still work?" Pulling out his golden scythe, he closed his eyes and imagined it as a vehicle. Even with his eyes closed, he could tell when a bright flash lit up the surrounding area. When he opened them, he grinned. He was now seated in a black and gold truck with wide, oversized wheels. Thick, black exhaust billowed out from the back when he gunned the engine.

His friends nodded, and accompanied by a bright flash, two motorcycles and a small jet appeared. Keeping pace with the car tracks, all four floored the gas pedals and shot off into the distance.

After a few miles, they saw city lights approaching and slowed to a stop. Switching his cycle back to its original sword form, Kai resumed sprinting as he remarked, "Well, boys, looks like we're on foot from here on out." The others complied quickly as a lone siren began wailing in the silent, black night.

"From now on, we travel by shadow," Cole agreed, restrapping his scythe securely to his back.

Jay landed in a crouch in front of the other three. He took a few steps forward, then quickly turned back to face his friends. "Guys… we have a problem."

Kai sighed. "Of course we do. What is it this time?"

Zane realized the issue next. His eyes widened as he reported, "Asphalt roads." Jay nodded. "And you know what that means?"

"No more tracks."

(~&&&~)

_Alone_, the voices hissed, _You are alone. Forever alone._ _'It's true,' she whispered hopelessly, 'The voices are right: I am alone. No one cares…'_

Lindsey shot up in bead, covered in a cold sweat. Unconscious tears slipped down her cheeks. Looking around, she remembered—she was at the boarding school. It had only been the dream—the one she always had. She must have inadvertently fallen asleep while waiting for the ninja.

Getting to her feet, she shuffled to the sink and splashed her face with cold water. The digital clock on the nightstand read 2:37 am, in glowing green numbers. With a heavy sigh, she dried her face and sat back down on the bed.

Before today, or rather, yesterday, the dream had been true—she was alone. No matter how hard she had tried back home, friendship had nimbly evaded her eager grasp, and she remained a solitary party—alone at lunch, alone after school, alone on weekends. Even alone in her dreams.

That was one reason she was so 'in to' Ninjago: Kai, Jay, Zane and Cole had become her best friends. Sensei Wu became her rock. She knew that she could always count on them; that they would never let her down. Now that they were here, the feeling of isolation had subsided, giving way to a desperate hope that her old-new friends would remain as heroically reliable as they had been her whole life.

Walking to the window, Lindsey gazed out at the night sky. How long would they be? "Come back safe," she whispered softly.

A loud thump near the door startled her. She turned quickly to see the intruder, but no one was there. Nervously taking a seat in the armchair, she glanced around again.

Then a low growl made her shoot to her feet. Behind her stood a mechanical bear-like monstrosity. Its eyes glowed red, and its jagged, razor-sharp metal teeth were bared in a menacing scowl.

Trembling, Lindsey stepped back as it stepped forward. Then, in a deep, angry, electronic voice, it spoke.

_ "Where are the ninja?"_

(~&&&~)

"If I was a ten-year-old, and I got teleported to some random world, where would I go?" Kai murmured, pacing across the asphalt road. Jay snickered. "The arcade?" he joked.

Kai's head shot up. "You mean, like that arcade?" He pointed down the dark street, to the only building with the lights still on: 'Buddy's Arcade.' Stunned, the Ninja of Lightning nodded. The red ninja darted towards it, with the other three following curiously. Gently nudging the door open, the ninja ventured inside, setting off a few motion-activated lights, but thankfully no alarms.

Suddenly, a familiar voice pierced the silence. "Hey! Who's there?" "Lloyd!" the four ninja exclaimed in unison. Lloyd's face, also changed to fit into the world, poked out from behind a large game consol labeled 'Mrs. Pacman.' "You four rouges just stepped into the wrong arcade," the ten-year-old drawled warningly, in a heavy western accent, "No one's allowed in here after hours."

Kai rolled his eyes. "Lloyd, it's me, Kai."

"You- wait. What?" The green ninja scrutinized them carefully before stepping back in surprise. "It _is_ you! How'd you get here? I didn't recognize you—these weird bodies are throwing me off."

"Why are you here?" Zane inquired anxiously, with the others glaring at Lloyd as well. Lloyd held up his hands as if to ward off the barrage of demands. "I can explain!"

"We know you snuck aboard the roller coaster," Cole began, eyeing Lloyd's smug expression with one of his own, "Start from there."

The green ninja cleared his throat. "Long story short? I got squished through a portal, landed in another amusement park looking all weird, and hitched a ride here. It's apparently been closed for a couple years, but some creepy teenagers came a little while ago and said I was in their hangout and that I'd better clear out. I scared them off with an energy ball, then used that to get the lights working. I had to reboot the games one by one, but I'm almost done!"

Kai groaned. "The fate of both worlds rests in our hands, and you're here rebooting video games?" "Wait," Lloyd paused, "Since when do we have any connection to this world's fate?"

"Hold on, Kai," Jay interrupted, "This place has some pretty sweet games! It'd be a shame not to play just one…"

"Teenage mutant ninja turtles…" Lloyd said enticingly. Kai winced. Lloyd could feel his resolve weakening and continued, "It's four player! You can fill me in on the dilemma while we play!" "Well… if you put it that way…" The red ninja hesitated, then nodded.

"He does make a good point," Zane agreed, then snatched one of the four controllers. "I call the nunchuck guy!" Jay reserved, grabbing one of his own as Kai and Cole quickly nabbed the remaining two. It took Lloyd a moment to realize there was no room left for him to play. "Hey!"

(~&&&~)

Jay had pressed the Start button on the game far more than he'd like to admit.

"_We really should be getting back_," a voice whispered, through the haze of his videogame-glazed mind. "_Ninjago_," it murmured more insistently, "_You must save your home_!" "I must save… my home," the blue ninja muttered. "_Lindsey_," it said desperately, "_She will be waiting_!"

"Lindsey… Lindsey!" Snapping out of his technology trance, Jay looked around frantically. He was still in the arcade. Rays of sunlight peeked through the filthy windows. His eyes widened. "It's morning! Guys, we have to GO!"

Darting over to the red ninja, he shook Kai's shoulder roughly, eliciting no response. Moving to Cole, he yelled, "Cole! We've got to get out of here!" This time he got a reply: Cole angrily turned from his game and pointed his golden scythe at him, causing the blue ninja to trip and fall backwards. "Hey!" Jay protested, as Cole turned placidly back to his game, "Friends don't hit friends!"

Lloyd was easier—a tap on the shoulder made him stiffen like he'd just been doused with ice water. Turning around, the green ninja scowled, game-glazed eyes hardening. "Who are you?"

Jay sighed. "It's me, Jay. We've gotta go save the world. Are you in?" The green ninja looked back at the game, then shook his head to clear it and looked up with alert eyes. "Jay? Where am I? What happened?" "Thank goodness! The others are in a trance, and I can't seem to get them out of it!" Lloyd frowned. "Maybe if we… Hmm…"

"How much force should we use?" Jay asked. Lloyd shook his head. "None." He simply strode over to the electrical outlet and yanked out a handful of cords. Everyone looked up in annoyance as the game screens went blank, but the unnatural trance wore off momentarily, leaving Kai and Cole disoriented.

"Woah," Cole reflected, "That was weird. It felt like if I left the game, I'd, like, die or something." "You took a swing at me when I tried to wake you," Jay informed, "I was kind of worried."

"Really? Sorry," the black ninja apologized, "I guess I wasn't myself. But what makes these consols so different from the ones back home? I like videogames, but not that much!"

"This could be the culprit," mused Kai, fingering a small twist of wires similar to others that ran across the top of many of the games, "What do you think, Zane?" When no one responded, he turned around. The white ninja was nowhere in sight. "Where's Zane?"

"Oh, don't worry," a flat, but menacing, slightly electric-sounding voice growled, "I'm sure you'll be seeing him very soon." The ninja spun to face the intruder.

A flash of dark metal caught their eye before a small black container was hurled in their direction. Just before it impacted with the floor, Cole yelled, "Smoke bomb! Everyone hold your breath!"

Then it exploded, filling the arcade with a layer of thick, black smoke. Lungs burning, the four ninja burst through the back door and into the cool night air. As they took gasping breaths, the metallic intruder could be heard, bumping into things as it tried in vain to follow them. "It can't get through it's own mischief," Kai realized, "Hurry! Let's get out of here!"

"But what about Zane?" Lloyd protested. Jay shook his head. "Kai's right—if we get caught we won't be much help to him. We need to get back to the dorm as fast as possible. Let's go!"

**XD hope you still love it! Ptyl and wish me luck on finals!**


	5. Chapter 5: But she'd never…

**Okay. I think I got a routine down: 1 post every 10ish days. Maybe. ;D Oh, and Happy New Years, everyone! Two more days and it's 2015!**

Lindsey cracked her eye open, then closed it quickly. The monsterbot was still in the room, muttering into an audio transmitter on its arm. Straining her ears, she was able to hear snatches of its responses. "Excellent… only one? Very well, bring him here. I believe we are holding a friend of his." Its red eyes flared greedily as it glanced at Lindsey, then stalked out of the room.

Lindsey's eyes flew open and she started frantically working on the chains that bound her wrists together, but to no avail. She was stuck, at least for the time being.

After the robot searched the dorm and found nothing, restricting the many escape attempts Lindsey made, it had released a foul smelling, pale green gas into the air. The next thing she remembered was waking up here. Not that she knew where 'here' was.

She pursed her lips. Apparently they had another prisoner to bring to this place. She tried to speculate on who would be coming. Probably one of the ninja; even if the term 'friend' had been used loosely, she knew of no one who could come even close to fitting the definition. But which one? Kai, Cole, Zane or Jay? She wondered if they'd found Lloyd yet.

The door knob jiggled a short while later, and Lindsey quickly reassumed an unconscious position, reducing her eyes to slits to watch as a hooded figure was shoved to his knees in the room. The door closed and she heard the lock click. Turning her attention to the new prisoner, who was struggling to sit up, she inchwormed over to them and pulled the hood off with her teeth.

"Zane?!"

"Lindsey?" the white ninja exclaimed with similar surprise, "Why are you not at the dorm?" She grinned wryly. "I was the victim of a ruthless abduction. You?" "I, as well. We did find Lloyd, but those metal menaces placed the other four in a technological trance, and brought me here." He paused. "I don't suppose you have a hairpin?"

"I do," she replied, "But I can't really reach it…" "I can," the white ninja replied, spotting the black pin above her ear, "Hold on… Got it!" He raised his manacled wrists and carefully maneuvered them until the pin was in his hands. "You can pick locks?" said Lindsey hopefully.

She could, but not when the lock was on her own wrists. Zane nodded. "Of course. I picked up the skill long ago." Opening the pin, he twisted it carefully. In less than a minute his wrist lock clicked open, and he started on his ankles.

Soon they were both free, and Lindsey rubbed her sore wrists. "Now, let's get out of here!"

(~&&&~)

"She's gone," Jay muttered, "Why is she gone?"

Upon returning to the dorm, tapping on Lindsey's window produced no response, so they quickly unlatched with window and crept inside, but Lindsey wasn't there. "Is her laptop still here? She told me she never goes anywhere without it," Kai remarked. A glance around confirmed its presence on the bed, illuminated by the first ray of morning light.

"She wasn't planning on leaving," Cole observed, "Something scared her off." "Or took her," Lloyd pointed out, "And I still need an introduction."

Kai absentmindedly felt in his pocket, then his eyes grew wide and he frantically patted his clothes, scanning the floor anxiously. "It's gone!"

Jay cocked his head. "What's gone? I mean, besides Lindsey?" "The wires! I put the trance-things from the arcade in my pocket!" Lloyd spotted the glint of metal near one of the bedposts. "Is that it?"

Kai nodded in relief and dove for it. Tugging gently on the strand, he complained, "It's stuck." He reached farther underneath the bed and dislodged the wires, then paused. "What's this?" he muttered,, pulling out a thick, untidy sheaf of papers, then froze. "Guys… look!" he held the wires and the top sheet of paper side by side, and the others gasped. They were each imprinted with a symbol—an identical symbol.

Cole's eyebrows shot up. "That symbol was on the robot, too!"

"The robot?"

"Yeah, the one who attacked us at the arcade? I'm sure of it!"

Kai leafed through the papers. "It's a bunch of information about a place called Dagoramn Enterprises."

"Dagoramn…" Cole muttered, "Sounds like—" "Ram's daggers?" Jay interrupted. "No!" Cole rolled his eyes. "Garmadon!"

Jay shook his head ruefully. "What is it with that guy and anagrams?"

"Wait a minute…" Lloyd paused. "If my dad's been to this world… And if Lindsey knows all about his doings—"

Kai's face fell drastically. "You think… she's a traitor?" Lloyd shrugged. "It sure looks like it." "No way," the red ninja protested, "You don't know Lindsey. She'd never…"

There was a moment of silence, then Cole spoke up. "But how well do we know her? The only thing we're sure of is that she's super smart, she knows a lot about our world, and you blush whenever she comes into the room." Kai's face reddened. "What? No! I mean, yeah, but there's no way she could be a traitor!"

He was ignored for the most part, and he sat down sullenly as Cole placated, "I'm not saying she is, but we should probably be careful around her until we're sure of her alliances." The red ninja sighed. "I guess you're right."

Just then, the door flew open and Lindsey burst in, panting heavily. She looked shocked to see the ninja. "You're here!?" The irony of the moment held the ninja speechless, and Kai quickly retreated the papers behind his back.

"Lindsey?" Cole began, eying her warily, "Where did you go?" She suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Well, I waited for you for hours, then this big thing came and—" She was cut off by the door slamming open. Standing in the doorway was the same metal menace they had previously encountered. Jay gasped in disbelief. "You brought it here?" They started backing towards the window.

Keeping an eye on the robot, Kai regarded Lindsey sadly. "I hope you're happy. Betrayal is a terrible thing." He paused. "I really liked you." Then they were gone.

Stunned, she stared at the window in hurt confusion until a low growl brought her to her senses. Scowling at the robot, for the sake of something to scowl at, she hesitated only a split-second before vaulting to the closet and locking the door.

The monsterbot pounded on the heavy oak door for a solid five minutes, but though the hinges shook, it held, and the robot eventually decided to follow the ninja instead.

Once she was sure it was gone, she crept out and looked around. The closet door had several deep gashes in it, and a lamp near the window had been shattered, but the room was otherwise fine, so she locked the window and returned to her inner turmoil.

Why had Kai spoken of betrayal? And the suggestion that she might even be pleased about it? True, the monster may have noticed their escape and discreetly followed her, but even that didn't account for the awful implications that were made. Did they… No! The couldn't possibly think she was somehow in league with the robot!

And yet it all became clear. That was exactly what they had assumed. But why? What had she done to give them the idea?

It was her nightmare come true. Feeling her eyes fill with tears, she collapsed on her bed and sobbed.


	6. Chapter 6: I'm sorry

**Hey guys! Guess what I'm going to DISNEYLAND next week! I'm ballroom dancing there on… Thursday, I think? Anyway, just had to get that out there. On with the story! XD**

Dawn had come by the time exhaustion forced the ninja to slow down. "I hate to tell you so, but… I told you so," Cole muttered, resting a sympathetic hand on Kai's shoulder. The red ninja shrugged it off. "It's our own fault," he retorted, "I shouldn't have trusted her."

"What wasn't there to trust?" Jay countered, "It was out of our hands." Kai did not reply but continued to stare dismally at the ground, painfully aware of the sheaf of papers still clenched tightly in the crook of his arm.

"Remind me where we're going?" Lloyd piped up. Cole shrugged. "Back to the arcade, I guess," he replied, "Maybe we can get another lead on this Dagoramn company."

Suddenly, they heard the low rev of a heavy motor directly behind them, and an instant later they were swept off their feet onto a very fast moving block of ice. Lloyd made the connection first. "Who the—wait! Zane?"

Sure enough, the ice block was being hauled along by Zane's icemobile, and the white ninja was driving with an anxious look on his face.

"Where—" "Not now," Zane cut Jay off, "We are being followed!" Glancing behind him, Zane winced and gunned the engine, sending up plumes of dust. Kai looked back to see the threat: the robot was on their tail. "That again?"

"Not that," the nindroid contradicted over the rush of the wind, "Those." A double take backwards emitted a collective gasp from the ninja. In mere seconds, an entire army of monsterbots identical to the first had emerged from the tiny town they had just left, and despite their massive bulk, they were rapidly gaining on the icy getaway vehicle. Kai looked apprehensively back at Zane. "Can this thing go any faster?" "If it cannot, then we are in deed trouble," he replied, pushing the throttle to full speed, "We need a place to hide!"

"There!" Lloyd cried, pointing to an outcropping that was peppered with tiny holes and caves. The white ninja nodded and switched course. Within minutes, the five ninja were sparsely hidden. As the monsterbots flooded the area, no one moved a muscle.

After a few minutes of searching, the entire army turned away. For a moment it seemed as if they were leaving altogether, but then one robot split off from the army and began coming straight towards them. "What're we gonna do?" panicked Lloyd, in a hoarse whisper. Zane shook his head. "At its current rate, it will be here in seconds!"

"But how does it know we're here?" Kai replied uneasily. Feeling a sharp buzz from his pocket, he pulled the twist of wires out—the LED light on the tip was flashing red. "It's a tracking device!" he realized, forcefully throwing it about fifty yards to their left. The robot immediately switched direction as well, giving them the time they needed to noiselessly exit the cave and sneak to the opposite side of the formation. When the monsterbot found the ninja-less tracking device, it let out a cry of rage that rivaled that of a lion. However, the army was moving on, and despite its anger at letting its targets escape, it hurried to catch up, leaving the ninja home free and safe, at least for the time being. "That was too close," Zane breathed in relief, once the army was out of sight.

"Yeah," Kai agreed, "I think we should—Oh, gosh! The papers—they're gone!"

"You must've dropped them when Zane picked us up," determined Cole, "They're long gone now. And the only person who would have a backup copy on her laptop is…"

Kai winced as he replied, "Lindsey." "Well, we'll have to get them somehow," Jay said, changing the subject, "But Zane, where were you? Why'd you disappear at the arcade?"

Zane grimaced. "As Lindsey put it, I was the 'victim of a ruthless abduction.' Once the rest of you were in a trance, two of the monsterbots came in to check on you—the entire situation was carefully orchestrated by them, or potentially their employer. When they saw I was unable to be induced into a trance, I was taken to a holding cell. Lindsey was there as well."

"Wait! She kidnapped you?" the blue ninja presumed thick-headedly. "No," Zane corrected, "She had been abducted as well. We escaped, and I sent her back to the dorm while I returned to the arcade, only to find you gone." "She's working for the other side," Kai informed him despondently. The nindroid's eyebrows shot up. "How do you know?"

"We found a bunch of information about them under her bed."

Zane looked on with disapproval as Cole explained, then countered, "And it didn't occur to you that she might have that information for entirely the opposite intent?"

Jay pursed his lips. "If so, then why didn't she tell us?" "I do not know, but the odds that she has committed betrayal are extremely low."

Kai beamed. "See, I told you!"

"She brought the robot to us!" Cole protested. "Tracking device, remember?" the red ninja retorted, sounding extremely pleased, "Lindsey's not a traitor."

Then his eyes widened. "Lindsey! Oh, no!" Cole cocked is head. "What?"

Kai winced and replied, "I bet she hates me right now. I said some pretty awful things to her, and she probably had no idea why! We need to get back there right now!"

(~&&&~)

The first paper airplane stirred her from her fitful sleep, but the second hit her on the nose, jarring her awake. "Who's there?" Lindsey called drowsily.

_ Crying yourself to sleep certainly has its drawbacks_, she thought absentmindedly, rubbing her cheek to rid it of dried tears. Unfolding the plane, she read, "Look out your window."

Complying, she peered outside. The sun was high in the sky, but it couldn't have been later than 10:00am.

Suddenly, Kai's face appeared in front of her own. "Lindsey! I'm so sorry! I—" She scowled at him and pulled the curtains shut. Why had he come back? "Really! I didn't mean it!" His voice was muted by the window glass, but by no means gone. "Go away!" she shouted, going back to her bed and covering her head with a pillow.

On the other side of the window, Kai sighed and returned to the ground. "It's no use," he moaned, "She won't listen." "Try again," suggested Jay. "Didn't you just hear me?" Kai snapped, "She won't listen!" "Persistence is the key!" the blue ninja replied brightly.

Kai shrugged hopelessly and returned to the window. "Come out, come out, wherever you are," he coaxed half-heartedly. The window slid back open. "What do you want?" Lindsey demanded.

"Can I come in? We need to talk." At first she looked as if to refuse, but then she sighed and returned to her bed, patting the seat next to her. Kai nodded and sat down.

"Okay, first of all, I'm so sorry for everything I said. You didn't deserve that, but at the time, I thought you did. We found something under your bed that made us thing you were helping the bad guys."

"Really?" she asked apprehensively, her angry outer demeanor cracking, "What was it?"

"Have you ever heard of Dagoramn enterprises?"

She nodded. "I did a bunch of random research on it over the summer because I thought it was funny that it's an anagram for Garm—oh." She paused and regarded Kai with an incredulous look on her face. "You actually thought I was in league with Garmadon just because I had an anagram of his name under my bed?"

"Stupid, I know. But the front page ad the same symbol on it as was on the robot, and I guess we just… jumped to conclusions. I'm really sorry." The explanation sounded rather lame when it was voiced, but Lindsey got the idea and softened.

"It was an honest mistake," she admitted, "I'm sorry I got so upset. It's just…" She hesitated. "I've never really had friends. You guys, or at least, your TV versions, have been my best and only friends for as long as I can remember. When you thought we were on opposite sides, I just came apart."

"I'll always be there for you," Kai replied softly, setting a hand on her knee and surprising even himself. She gave him a watery smile, then stood up. "The others are waiting, no?" He nodded and stood as well.

"Then we'd better return to them. Let's go save the worlds."

**Together again, again… yay! Now we can get on with the saving of the worlds! You can tell me what you think with that adorable little review box down there… just saying. Ptyl! **


	7. Chapter 7: Reconnaissance 574

**Hey guys! Yup I'm in California! It's so warm here! But anyway, I was looking over some of the future chapters (yes I have more written!) and I realized that this chapter is the one where the action really starts rising. So even if this chapter seems a tad slow, just know that it'll only get better from here. Or crazier. Or whatever it'll turn out as. (*Sigh*) I'll stop talking. Just read the chapter and tell me what you think!**

"So, do we still have the same agenda?" Lindsey asked, "Or do we have yet another thing to do?" "Well, we found Lloyd," replied Kai, "So that's one less thing to do, and one more person to help. Hopefully."

"Oh, yeah! By the way, it's awesome to meet you," she said, vigorously shaking Lloyd's hand. "And you," the green ninja agreed pensively, making a face at Kai.

"I believe the connection has restabilized," Zane informed as Nya's voice crackled to life. "Guys! What took you so long? We've been waiting forever for a call—Sensei has some info for you!"

"Really?" Lindsey smiled, "Where is he?" Nya winced as she replied, "He's gone to Ninjago city for something, and I don't know when he'll be back. He wouldn't even give me a hint as to what it is; I think it's a big secret."

"Can you estimate?" Cole urged, "We're pressed for time." "I don't even know what he went for—he could be here any minute, or not until sundown. I only wish—"

They never got to hear Nya's wish, however. In the distance, they heard the door open, and Sensei Wu's aged voice called, "Hello! I'm home!" Kai's sister's tone immediately brightened. "Oh good! He's here! Sensei, they're back! Come quick!" she called, and a minute later their teacher was on the line.

"Thank goodness," Sensei Wu exclaimed, "The situation you have landed in seems to have escalated to dangerous heights. My brother's influence exists in Lindsey's world, and although his physical presence has been cut off, the mark of Garmadon remains." "Remains… how?" Lloyd postulated.

"Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon! What were you thinking?" the sensei chided upon recognizing the green ninja's presence. He ignored his nephew's question and continued, "Earth is no place for a young ninja such as yourself! Must I watch you night and day to keep you from trouble's clenching grasp?"

Then he resumed the topic at hand. "But what's done is done. I have limited knowledge of Garmadon's more sinister colleagues; however I know that by consorting with dark magic, he has gained many less-desirable followers. Through my brother's careful guidance, it seems he has gained substantial power in this strange world through a loyal underling. It's obvious his attention is now dormant, but his subterfuge could be, and likely still is, a dangerous threat to both worlds."

"We might have a lead," Kai volunteered, "Lindsey? Umm…. We kind of lost the research—" "You mean, you kind of lost the research," Cole corrected quickly. Kai turned a shade of red that rivaled the color of his uniform and continued, "You don't happen to have a copy on your laptop, do you?" She rolled her eyes in response and pulled the laptop from her bag as Kai explained, with a look of relief, about the Dagoramn company and the monsterbots. "We're not sure what kind of company it is, but—"

"Not true," Lindsey pointed out, tracing her finger along the screen, "Did you even read it? It says right here that it's 'A company that manufactures technological masterpieces; mostly ideas to improve out way of life.' If Garmadon founded it, I highly doubt the absence of a diabolical underplot."

"Do you have the name of the initiator?" Nya asked. Lindsey quickly scrolled down until she found what she was looking for. "Looks like it was started not too long ago by a guy named Julian Renala. There's no picture, but this is what the building looks like. It's about an hour and a half from here." Everyone crowded around to see it as Nya replied, "We'll look into it. Sensei, is there anything else?"

"There is," Sensei Wu replied, "With your whereabouts being on the planet Earth, I have unearthed vital information pertaining to your return." The ninja and Lindsey sensed he was about to begin a story and settled down to listen.

"Long ago, dragons roamed Ninjago, in perfect harmony with its other occupants. As the years passed on, their presence dwindled, until only the very strongest remained: fierce and dangerous. It is from these that I selected the dragons who would protect the four weapons of spinjitzu until you four came. Earth also harbored many of these majestic beasts, but as its occupants advanced, they began to be an imminent danger to dragonkind. Portals existed between all three worlds: Earth, Ninjago, and the underworld. As Earth grew steadily more perilous, all dragons were evacuated, and all portals connecting to it were permanently closed. All but one."

"Then… we came through the last existing dragon portal?" Zane realized. They could almost see their master nodding sagely. "The last dragon portal must have some significance in that world, even if its actual identity is concealed," Nya noted, "Things like that tend to give off an air of importance. Was there anything… unusual around the roller coaster you came out by? What was it called?"

"Colossus," Jay answered. "Colossus…" Lindsey repeated under her breath. Then her face lit up.

"Also known as The Fire Dragon!"

(~&&&~)

"Reconnaissance mission 574, final rundown," Lindsey said dramatically, once they hung up and returned to the dorm. They were in the final planning stages of an undercover Dagoramn mission. "Why 574?" Zane repeated in confusion, "This is merely the first infiltration attempt. It should be 1, instead of a indiscriminate number such as 574."

Lindsey raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. "I don't know; it just sounds cool. But anyway, let's review how everything's gonna go. We've only got one shot at this, so we can't afford to mess up. You all know what you're doing?" The five ninja nodded in affirmation.

Crossing the room, she opened a small cupboard and pulled out a jumbled mess of wires, a black plastic casing, and a couple other odds and ends. After dumping it all on the table, she retrieved a screwdriver and a pair of needle nosed pliers and got to work.

Within several minutes, she had whipped out a made-from-scratch mechanism resembling a walkie-talkie, as well as a separate, earbud-like ball of wires crammed into a rubber casing, which she tucked into her ear. "Okay, press that button to turn it on, and hold down the side button to talk into the speaker," she instructed, "It should transfer the sound to my ear contraption, allowing us to communicate while I'm in there."

The ninja looked stunned when it actually worked. "Hello?" Jay complied tentatively. Lindsey winced, and her hand flew to her ear. "Agh! I said talk, not yell," she complained, "Remember, this thing is right by my eardrum." "Is this better?" asked Cole, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Yeah, thanks."

"But… how?" Kai finally stammered, "They were just wires, and you've turned them into… a masterpiece!" She blushed proudly and replied, "We all have our areas of expertise. But thanks. Now, guys, let's get this show on the road!"

(~&&&~)

"Sorry, we don't do tours."

"But I have permission," Lindsey insisted. The grey-clad guard shook his head. He couldn't have been much more than three years her senior. "I called ahead and they said I was fine. Can't I just follow you around throughout the day?" she pleaded, "I won't be a bother. You'll hardly know I'm there!"

She could see her target weakening. Putting on her best puppy face, she urged, "Please?" He hesitated, then relented, "Alright, but you stay right with me. And don't touch anything."

She nodded vigorously. "Oh, no, sir, I won't!" "I'm just finishing my shift. Rob, come take over," he called to another similarly dressed guard.

"Access gained," she whispered stealthily, following the guard. "Awesome," Kai's voice came through the device in her ear, "Now, ask some innocent questions to get him more comfortable around you. If he really believes you're just a harmless school kid, you'll have a better chance of slipping away unnoticed. Otherwise he'll be keeping is eye on you the entire time."

"Got it," she replied, casting a glance up at the guard. Lengthening her stride to meet his, she asked, "Pretty tight security here. Has there ever been… a break in, perchance?" He shook his head proudly. "Not many. No one's ever been successful—our state-of-the-art security cameras catch everything. I can't say more than that, but we've got a security system unlike any other, literally. It was designed here, and here it stays."

"There's not much use for guards like you, then." He shrugged. "It's an extra precaution. It pays well; there's a tussle every now and then, but yeah, it's mostly a pretty low-action job." "What kind of stuff do you have to do to land this kind of job?"

He cocked his head. "Not much, actually. I graduated high school; I had to know how to shoot a gun… That's about it. Helps that I've never gotten anything worse than a parking ticket pasted on my resume."

"Way cool," she agreed, then paused. "You wouldn't mind if I took a quick bathroom break, would you?" He nodded. "Down that hall and to your right."

Ducking into the single-stall room, she quickly locked the door and pulled out her laptop. "Don't you think that was kind of forward?" Jay admonished.

Lindsey shook her head by force of habit, even though there was no one to see it. "Aren't we pressed for time? Now, I've got about five minutes before he starts getting suspicious, so let's roll." Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she tried different combinations, seeking to bypass the technological protection of the security cameras.

"Less than a minute left," Cole warned after a few minutes, "Can you pick up the pace?" "I almost got it…" she bit her lip. "Ha! Score! Now I just gotta hit this, and…" Dramatically pressing the spacebar she took a screenshot of the film that popped up. It showed an empty room—perfect.

"Why is it that sneaking into places here always involves hacking the security cameras?" Jay wondered absently. "Shh!" Lindsey chided. Pasting the shot onto the camera display, she repeated the process for several other screens.

"Okay, I replaced the running video in a few of the main areas with pictures of the empty room, so no matter what we do, none of the guards viewing the security camera tapes will see a thing."

"Excellent," Zane agreed, "Now get out of there!"

**Heehee I just love sneaking into places! XD Ptyl!**


	8. Chapter 8: Too close

**Hey guys! Has it only been 10 days? It seems like forever! Anyway, the story really starts taking off from here. I hope you enjoy, and again, thanks for all the awesome reviews! They really make my day! XD**

"Come on, already!" Jay urged.

Lindsey shook her head. "Not yet," she countered, "We've gotta wait until every last day guard leaves. Once the doors close, Zane and I can dismantle the locks. Then we'll head in and see what we can find. It's almost midnight now. Meet in the main hall at two o'clock, and stay away from the night guards at all costs!"

Kai eyed her with reluctant admiration. Here was a girl who knew what she was doing.

Finally, the last guard exited, and they heard the locks click into position. Leaping to their feet, Lindsey and Zane set to work. A few minutes later, the locks disengaged, and the five teenagers slipped inside, with Lloyd following closely.

Once inside, Lindsey paused. "Oh! I almost forgot—I printed up blueprints for everyone!" Quickly passing them out, she reshouldered her bag and inculcated, "Okay, we'd better split up. Everyone grab a partner!"

Jay and Cole linked arms, and Lloyd went to stand by Zane, purposely leaving Kai to go with Lindsey. He blushed slightly, but she didn't seem to notice. "You guys go down the left hall, and you two go to the right. Kai and I will head upstairs," she instructed, pointing at each group in turn. They each nodded in affirmation and scattered to their respective spots.

Kai started for the stairs, then looked back to see Lindsey studying the map intently. "Are you coming?"

She didn't appear to hear him, but mumbled, "Looks like we're here." She whipped out the pencil from behind her ear and circled the spot lightly, then marked three x's in different spots, continuing, "There should be guards here, here, and here."

The red ninja shrugged and returned to her side. "How do you know?"

"Huh? Know what?"

"Where the guards are."

"I don't," she replied simply, then seeing his expectant face, elaborated. "Well, technically, each floor of an average building will have up to three guards, so I chose three, to be safe. These three spots are the most likely areas for infiltration, plus they provide the greatest range of visibility, making them the most plausible stations. It's all simple logic, really."

Kai grinned. "Your genius never ceases to amaze me."

However, instead of accepting the praise, she immediately shut down. Looking at him with hurt eyes, she replied, in a tight voice, "Let's go."

Kai frowned, puzzled, as he followed her up the stairs. Had he offended her? It was an honest compliment, but based on the way she reacted, you'd think she'd been called a pinhead! "Look, Lindsey—"

"Shh!" she interrupted curtly, "The first guard's coming up." Sure enough, he came into view, but Kai wisely decided against pointing out her accuracy and risking getting silent treatment. Instead, he pointed out a new problem.

"It's just one narrow hallway. How do we get past without getting caught?" Still confused, Kai reminisced the time mere moments earlier, when her face would light up and she would propose her brilliant solution with relish and glee, but this time she poignantly slipped off her bag, pulled out a set of eight large suction cups, and handed half to Kai. "Who's the ninja here, anyway?" was all she reticently replied, before darting to the far wall and using the cups to climb up it and onto the ceiling. Kai shrugged, mystified by her behavior, but followed.

"Lindsey!" he whispered sharply, hoping for an explanation for her stand-offish behavior, but grew silent as the guard shifted stance. Their differences would have to wait. They passed the first guard without a hitch, but as they started to overtake the second, Lindsey slowed. Kai hissed, "Hey! Where're we going?"

"That's HQ," she whispered coolly, pointing directly beneath her to a room nearly identical to the others. It was situated precisely between guard one and guard three. Guard two stood rigidly at attention immediately to its left. "Wow, they've got this down to a science," Kai remarked, "I'd ask how you knew, but—"

"It's where the best guard is," she interrupted, then remembered her issue and clammed up again. Kai sighed. "Well, how do we get in?" he mouthed. She hesitated, unsure of which course to take.

Just then, a loud crash ensued from the lower floor, drawing all three guards rushing for the stairs to investigate. Both teenagers' eyebrows shot up in ironic surprise, but they immediately took advantage of the distraction. Quickly climbing down and pocketing the suction cups, he jiggled the door handle.

"It's locked!" he whispered frantically. Lindsey came down beside him, aloofly plucking a pin from her hair and inserting it into the keyhole. After a few seconds of fruitless twisting and turning, she turned to him and mouthed, "It's not working!"

"Keep trying," he reassured anxiously, secretly grateful for the acknowledgment. They heard footsteps on the stairs, and that's what did it. One desperate jerk later, the lock clicked open, and Lindsey and Kai all but fell inside, shutting the door silently behind them.

"This is it. If something's amiss with this company, it'll be in here," Lindsey said, fingering the nametag on the silent desk that read, 'Julian Renala, Chief Executive Officer.'

Kai ignored it and confronted her head on. "What's going on with you?"

She didn't meet his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"See!" he protested, "There it is again. The Lindsey I know would say, "What'd you mean?", not that! You sound like a serpentine we caught in the act a little while back. I need to know—we're in the middle of an important mission, and we need to be able to rely on each other! I'm willing to rely on you, but are you with me? Did I offend you back there? I certainly didn't mean to!"

She raised her eyes slowly. "You mean, it's not just that I'm smart?"

The red ninja raised an eyebrow. "What's just because you're smart?" "Us being friends," she murmured softly.

"You—wait a minute. You actually think the only reason I'm friends with you is because you're a stinkin' genius?" He looked slightly incredulous. "Lindsey, from what I've gathered, you've been friends with me from the moment we first met—before, even—and I hope to return the gesture. It doesn't matter to me how smart you are; you're beautiful, inside and out. And I'm glad you're my friend."

"Oh." She got quiet. "I'm really sorry, then. It's just the alone factor again—the only friends I had were just with me because I had smarts. I've been dumped by frienemies way too often for comfort."

"Well, whenever you need a friend, I'm here," he reassured, then paused.

"What is it?" Lindsey asked. He hesitated only a moment longer before leaning over and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. She immediately recoiled, a look of stunned surprise on her face.

"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have—"

"No!" she stopped him, "Don't apologize! It's okay. Let's get to work."

_Idiot_, Kai chided himself angrily, _What was I thinking?_

Lindsey busied herself with opening and closing drawers, searching for anything out of the ordinary, but now and then, Kai saw her hand creep up and rub her cheek softly.

_So she liked it_, he thought, relieved at her reaction to his own audacity, and began searching as well. But after nearly fifteen fruitless minutes, they still had nothing to show for their efforts.

"Looks like there's nothing here," the red ninja stated slowly, "We'd better go check the others' progress." "'Kay," she agreed.

He strode to the window, then looked back. "Are you coming?"

"Hang on a sec," she urged, pulling out the blueprints. "Aha! I thought I saw something off with this place!" Waving the map triumphantly, she pointed to the room they currently occupied, #8865. Then she slid her finger sideways, to a small, unmarked room to her left, between #8865 and #8866. "There's supposedly nothing but wall there, but there it is! I bet you anything that's a secret room!"

"That would be pretty outlandishly awesome," Kai admitted, collapsing into the padded chair at the desk.

"Something's got to set it off," she exclaimed eagerly, "A switch, a trip, a button..." Pulling the armrests for leverage, Kai started to rise from the chair to offer assistance. Then the left armrest jerked upwards, the floor opened silently, and the chair dropped like a lead balloon, taking the ninja of fire with it.

Lindsey's heart jumped into her throat. "Kai!" One moment he was there, the next, he was gone. Gathering her scattered nerves quickly, she hesitated only a split second before leaping in after him.

Only as she plummeted downward did she realize that if the chair hadn't gone straight down, she was sunk. Reaching out her hands, she felt her fingertips brush against the walls of the tiny shaft. Her long, blond hair streamed out behind her. Far below, she heard Kai grunt as the chair clicked abruptly to a stop.

"Kai! Catch!" she yelled. The words echoed back and forth; the restricted space made them seem impossibly loud.

And then she was in Kai's arms. He quickly set her down and pulled out a flashlight, flipping it on. "Are you okay?" he asked worridly. She nodded. "And you?"

"Fine," he replied, "What is this place? There's no way it could be in the unmarked place; we must be way below sea level." Shining the light around, he stopped when it illuminated a two way sign. The arrow pointing to their left read 'MB storage,' and the arrow pointing to their right read 'HQ Main.' The teens' eyes widened. "Kai, do realize what we've found?" Lindsey whispered excitedly. He nodded.

"Mission accomplished. It's espionage time!"

(~&&&~)

Meanwhile, Zane and Lloyd crept down the hall, eyes and ears peeled to detect the slightest inkling of sound or movement. The long hall seemed empty, but now and then a guard shifted position, making themselves known. Now, they were crouched behind an indent in the wall, trying to decide which course of action to take.

"I'm bored," Lloyd complained, "I still don't get why we can't just tie the guards up and be on our way."

"You know why," Zane replied patiently; the green ninja had brought this up before. "This mission is strictly reconnaissance-based; we cannot afford to let anyone know we're here. Finding their security unidentifiably bound would no doubt raise suspicions."

"So we untie them before we leave."

The nindroid sighed. "And what would be the first thing they do upon their release? We've been over this!"

Lloyd dropped his eyes in defeat and returned to his seat on the ground, pulling a thin metal rod from his sash and spinning it on the floor in boredom.

Zane continued musing to himself, "I believe that if we infiltrate using stealth, there is the slightest possibility that—Lloyd! What is that?"

"This?" the green ninja held up the slender golden key he had been fooling around with. "Just something I found in the portal. There was a bunch of piles of random junk, so I took it. It's not like anyone was using it or anything. I don't know what it goes to."

"May I see it?"

Lloyd nodded and placed it into the nindroid's open hand. "Odd…" Zane fingered the handle in interest. Imprinted on the round knob was a familiar symbol. "Lloyd! This is the same mark as was on both the monsterbots and the research!"

The green ninja stared. "I never noticed!" "Keep it safe," Zane advised, "Now, about the guards—" A tumultuous crash cut him off.

The duo was immediately inquisitive as to its source, but it caught the guards' attention, creating the perfect diversion, so they opted instead to dart down the hall, determined to observe as much as they possibly could before the guards returned.

"I don't see much out of the ordinary," Lloyd panted, "Where do those lead?" He pointed to the end of the hall, where a set of double doors loomed surreptitiously, concealing any hint as to what lay beyond their grasp.

"Dare me?" Lloyd said mischievously, reaching for the doorknob.

"Lloyd," Zane scolded, "This is no picnic in the park. What we are doing is highly dangerous and must be taken with all seriousness."

The green ninja just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever, I'm still going in." With that, he twisted the doorknob and stepped inside. A split second later, he scrambled back out again, pressing himself against the doors. "Okay, you were right, I'll be serious now! The room is chock full of monsterbots!"

"Did they see you?"

Lloyd shook his head doubtfully. "I don't think so, but either way, we'd better be super careful." The nindroid nodded, and the two ninja slipped back inside the doors to face whatever awaited them.

True to Lloyd's word, five hulking monsterbots occupied the surprisingly small room. Pressing into the walls, the ninja relied on the deep shadows for their concealment. Other than the robots, the room was mainly empty, except for a large machine on the far wall that crackled with energy. "Should we get a closer look?"

Zane nodded. "I could be wrong, but I sense that that machine harbors the monsterbot power source. It is certainly not large enough to account for the army we saw earlier, but I believe it could cover the energy needed for these five, perhaps more. If we take it out, we can potentially shut down most of the monsterbots residing in the building."

"They're not looking. C'mon!" Lloyd mouthed, darting out into the open, towards the machine.

"Lloyd! No!"

He was almost to the machine when one of the monsterbots turned around. It raised a limb to its mouth, speaking into a speaker on its arm. "Intruder alert! Call in the reinforcements!"

Lloyd winced. "Oops…"

Seeing no sense in hiding any longer, Zane stepped into the light and pulled out his shurikens. Lloyd followed suit as the robots turned to face them. "Trespassers will pay," the lead monsterbot growled, then lunged at them.

A long sword materialized in its hand just before colliding with Lloyd's short dagger. The green ninja, caught off guard, struggled to hold the blade until Zane distracted the monsterbot with a forcefully thrown shuriken, while fending off his own opponent. They continued to parry and strike, until it was clear the robots weren't planning to stop before their prey was vanquished.

Then Zane noticed something. "Where are the other three?"

Lloyd struck his robot with a glancing blow and quickly looked around. "Guarding the machine," he replied grimly, "I bet your power theory was right. They don't want to get shut down." Then his face took on a look of realization. "And if your theory was right…"

"All we need to do is stop the machine, and the monsterbots—at least these ones—won't be a problem anymore," Zane finished, launching a powerful kick at the incensed robot.

Leaving Zane for a moment, Lloyd darted to the double doors and peered out. Then he quickly shut them and grabbed a strong pipe that lay to the side. Calling upon the incredible strength of the earth's element, he threaded it through the handles and twisted it tightly shut. "That'll hold for now, but with the ten extra reinforcements out there working on it, I don't know how long it'll last. We've got to get to that power source!"

"I'll go," Zane offered, recognizing the danger, "You just hold off those two." The green ninja nodded and took over, allowing Zane to split off. The nindroid skillfully flipped over the four monsterbots guarding the machine, and started desperately hacking at it with the razor-sharp edge of one shuriken, while using the other to ward off the other robots.

"Zane! How much longer!?" Lloyd called frantically. The two monsterbots had him backed up against the wall, and he was desperately seeking a way out. Behind them, the reinforcements had started to attempt to break open the door. Zane set his teeth.

"Almost got it! I just have to get this—no!" He was cut off as one robot got a grip on his foot and yanked him off the machine, hurling him at the door. The impact was hard enough to top off the already-maimed pipe, and it popped off the handles. Zane rolled to the side and got to his feet as more monsterbots flooded inside. "We've got to cut that wire!" he yelled, engaging three of the furious robots.

Two more converged on Lloyd, and the remaining five doubled the guard on the machine. In all, fifteen monsterbots, two very desperate ninja, and one powerful machine were causing havoc in the small room.

Suddenly, Jay and Cole appeared in the doorway. "Boy, it looks like you guys really bit off way more than you can chew," Jay remarked, eyeing the situation. "Save it, Jay, now's not the time," Zane yelled, "You two must go cut the last wire!"

"On it," Cole agreed, "Jay, can you hold them off?"

The blue ninja nodded, and the pair advanced through the room. "Sorry we couldn't make it earlier," he panted, "We accidentally knocked a bunch of stuff over down the hall, and-" "You mean _you_ accidentally knocked them over?" Cole corrected. The guard robots saw them coming and growled, lunging at the invaders.

Scythe and nunchucks out, the ninja fought to reach the machine, but the monsterbots understood their motives. They grouped together to form a nearly impenetrable wall and started shooting laser beams at them, leaving smoking scorch marks in the floor. Cole groaned. "Really? Could things get any worse?"

Almost as if in response to his complaint, the lead robot stepped back, leaving Lloyd to its companions, and pressed a blue button on its forearm. A small device with an LED screen and a flashing red light rose into view, beeping shrilly. The screen read, "00:30," and as Jay watched, it flipped to 00:29, then 00:28. The robot set it down on the floor and rejoined the fray.

"A bomb," the blue ninja observed crossly, "They would do that."

"Wouldn't it blow them up, too?" Lloyd panted, delivering another swift kick. Zane shook his head. "I sense, by experience, for that matter, that a bomb would do nothing more to their seemingly impregnable armor than amuse them. We would not be so lucky."

"Well, we've gotta do something!" Jay griped, using his nunchucks to throw a bolt of lightning at the shell. It crackled with energy, and the timer jumped down to 00:06. Jay winced. "Bad idea! Now what?"

"I've ran every other scenario through my servers. Cutting the power is the only sure way to prevent it from detonating!" Zane replied urgently. Cole set his teeth.

"Three seconds!" Jay hollered.

Reflecting each laser shot his way with his scythe, Cole lunged between two of the monsterbots. "Which wire?"

"The red one!" Zane yelled. Cole nodded.

"Two!"

The ninja of earth hooked his scythe around the designated wire.

"One!"

The monsterbots all grabbed Cole in angry desperation to pull him off, but they were too late. His scythe sliced easily through the wire, and everything froze: the monsterbots, the lasers, and most importantly, the bomb.

Jay shuddered. "That was way too close."

**Was that pretty suspenseful? I tried to get the desperate air to it... Anyway but ya! Tell me what you like, what you don't like... I want it all! XD and ptyl!**


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